The African wildcat, sometimes erroneously called the Egyptian wildcat, is one of Kruger’s rarer sightings, especially in broad daylight.
African wildcats bear a striking resemblance to an average house cat, only with somewhat longer legs and stockier shoulders. Its coat also tends to be either a shade lighter or darker than what a tabby cat would look like. These technicalities aside, you’d be hard-pressed to spot the difference.
African wildcats are considered to likely have been the first cat to be domesticated, according to Britannica. It is a solitary, nocturnal creature, meaning that it prefers to be alone aside from mating season and will stalk for prey at night.
The primary threat to the wildcat is cross breeding with domestic cats; experts believe that there are very few genetically pure African wildcats left.
Thus, spotting one of these felines is not as easy as it sounds but a lucky visitor to Kruger National Park managed to capture this video of an African wildcat trotting down the N’wanetsi tar road.
Video: John Brooke Dyer
Picture: Screenshot from video
